Duel of the DJs
by 570RMP1R473
Summary: During a regular investigation at a club, Matt gets transported to a different dimension after dealing with a mysterious DJ. He needs to find a way out, before he ends up trapped there, and under the control of the Hypnoshades...
1. Prologue

"Alright, this is the place. Need to investigate something about a hypnotic DJ. Think it was something about their music brainwashing a bunch of people." Matt entered the club, and was greeted with neon-aesthetic colors and a synthwave-style design. Calmly walking forward, Matt looked left and right, and saw a bunch of posters on the walls. They were mostly advertisements for DJs playing there. "DJ Hyperfresh? Isn't that Marina?" Matt wondered, when he saw a poster with Marina's alias on it. Once he was out of the entrance, he was greeted with a strange sight. The inklings there were all… purple-colored? Their skin was deep purple, with their ink color varying wildly. The lights would have hurt his eyes badly, but his shades were protecting them. He walked over to an empty chair in the room, and sat down looking around. A waitress came over and handed him a menu. He just told her to get him a Pina Coolada. She nodded and went back to the bar in the room. Matt was very confused with everything, from the strange colored Inklings to the practically blinding aesthetic. After the waitress came back with his drink, Matt took it, stood up, and decided to look at the DJ stand. It looked just like… pretty much everything else in the room, neon-colored and synthed. However, the lights turned off, and the only ones that turned back one were ones pointed at the set itself, while a voice announced. "Ladies and gents, presenting to you your DJ in control, AC-Lux!"

The lights went neon blue and purple while rotating around, and out on the set came… An Octoling wearing Hypnoshades!? Matt gritted his teeth, before the DJ spoke with a soft yet commanding voice. "Everyone, I've come back to grace your ears with my beats. However, an outsider seems to have infiltrated us." Suddenly, she looked in Matt's direction, and pointed directly at him. "HIM! GET HIM!" Everyone else in the area started gunning for him, and he got into a fighting stance, while Lux played her music. "LEMME HEAR YOU SCREAM!" Matt was carving through them with just his fists, and once the last patron was out cold, Matt calmed down. He was breathing heavily, but then Lux started clapping. "Well done, stranger. What's your name?" "Matt. Not like you'd need to remember it." "Oh really? Well, you shouldn't be too sure about that." She pulls out a disc from a box behind the turntable, and puts it on the top. She starts playing the music, and oddly enough, the lights start pointing directly at him. Are they… charging? Suddenly, beams of light start shooting out of them, and Matt's instinct was to dodge. 6 of them were attacking at any time, and Matt had to dodge all of them. While dodging, Matt threw a knife at Lux, which ended up landing in her arm. It staggered her, which gave Matt and opportunity to throw a few more. They all landed in her arms, rendering her unable to play anymore. "Gah! Dammit, need to flee… This won't be the last of me you'll see, you know!" She yelled out, before the lights reverted to white, and she disappearerd. Matt raised an eyebrow, before noticing the turntable was glowing. He got up close, and touched it. He was pulled into a portal, which was a mix of neon colors. When he landed, he was in a different place entirely. He got up, and looked around. There were others there as well, but they were all… wearing Hypnoshades? Matt pulled out a PDA, and it revealed where he was. The PDA said...

"_**The Shaded Realm"**_


	2. Chapter 1: Landing

Duel of the DJs Chapter 1: Landing

"The Shaded Realm…? I mean, I guess that'd explain the people in Hypnoshades, but why is the place so… strange?" Matt thought to himself as he looked around, and checked if he suffered any damage. None, thankfully, and he decided to go further. The anatomy of the area was odd, with the buildings seemingly going past the sky, the street signs made no sense, and the lights were very blinding, even with the Aviators this time. He tried to ask someone where he was, other than this dimension. He tapped a shaded Inkling on the shoulder and tried to ask. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am right now?" But instead of replying, the shaded girl just looked at him from head to toe, and spoke in a language he couldn't understand. It was all very confusing. This place is like a very synthetic and neon Inkopolis, and yet he still couldn't understand it. Suddenly, the big monitor that was like the one from his dimension turned on, and on it was AC-Lux. "Everyone! We have a fugitive on the loose! He's an outsider from another dimension, and he poses a major threat to us!" She announced with a booming voice, before a picture of Matt flashed on the screen. Suddenly, everyone in the area looked at him, and even with their Hypnoshades on, Matt could tell their eyes were piercing him, like sharp knives. A pack of drones and what looked like police showed up across the place he was, and Matt's first instinct was to… "FUCKING RUN!" Matt thought to himself, and he did.

The chasers were in cars and on foot, while Matt was just running like a Joestar. He was able to run fast enough to lose them, but once he took a break, someone came to him. They didn't seem to wish to harm him, yet Matt didn't let his guard down. They tried to speak, but it was obvious Matt couldn't understand him. He gave Matt a bracelet, which, when he put it on, added a UI to his shades. "Translator Bracelet equipped. Adding new language… Synthspeak added to database. Translating audio…" The UI disappeared, and the Inkling spoke again. "Can you hear me now?" "Yeah, I can understand you. Thanks." Matt replied. "What are you people?" "We're people of the Shaded Realm. This place has been under the control of AC-Lux for… no one knows how long. We're not even sure how she's still alive after all these years. And I know you're here because you're after her. But if you're gonna defeat her, you'll need a few things." "Like what? Is it a new gun?" Matt asked. "No, not a gun. You're gonna need a turntable, a pair of headphones, beats, and an outfit. Because the one you're wearing right now isn't gonna cut it." Matt was a bit irritated about that comment, but he understood that his clothes weren't good enough for this dimension. "Here's a list of the items, and where you're gonna find them." Instead of a regular paper, it was a flash drive. He brought a laptop out of his pocket somehow, and plugged it in. The shaded inkling was a bit confused. "Where did you get that?" "I don't know. I just stuff things into my pocket and they fit somehow." "But that was a laptop!" "Look buddy, even I don't know." The discussion ceased, and Matt scanned the drive. He uploaded everything into his shades, and put the laptop back. "Anything else I need to know?" Matt asked the inkling one last question. "Never fall for the spell of her beats. They work in mysterious ways, and can brainwash you." Matt looked left to right, then nodded. Afterwards, he ran ahead, to look for the first item: The Headphones.


	3. Chapter 2: Headphones

Duel of the DJs Chapter 2: Headphones

Running to the first location, Matt updates his UI continuously to keep track of where he is. The location said a special store for gear, in the center of the city. He had to wear a fake pair of Hypnoshades to get through undetected. Thankfully, no one questioned his actions and appearance, and he was safely able to get to a store called "Music Knights". He entered the familiar sounding store, and was greeted with an assortment of headphones, discs, and tools. The attendant greeted him, and his nametag read "Sheldon", like the one from Inkopolis. In fact, it was like Sheldon, except wearing a synth-oriented outfit instead of his scout uniform, and Hypnoshades where his glasses were. "Hello there!" "General Kenobi." "What was that?" "N-nothing, sorry. I'm looking for headphones." Matt said. "What kind? Loud? Comfortable?" Sheldon recommended. "I'm looking for a pair called the "Neon Menace". Do you have it?" Matt asked. Sheldon looked a bit off-put by it, and signaled to follow him. Matt did, and was led to a back room of sorts with a table, multiple tools, and several kinds of resources. "The headphones you're looking for are not available, only craftable. Someone with the will to make them can do it, but I can't. Maybe you could try." Sheldon explained, and handed Matt a box with stuff in it. Matt looked inside and saw a disassembled pair of headphones inside.

He put the box on the table, and looking through the box, saw a manual with how to make it. He noticed he needed… "Industrial Strength Neon"? "Hey, what's Industrial Strength Neon? Last I checked, that's an element." Matt asked Sheldon. "Oh, you're gonna have to go get into a factory if you want that. They're a special adhesive and tool, which not just sticks stuff together, it gives it a neon glow in a color similar to its nearby sources." Sheldon explained. Matt wondered where a factory would be in this place, but then Sheldon brought out a chip. Matt took it, and inserted it in his shades. The chip contained a map of the entire Shaded Realm, even the outskirts of the city he was in. Matt downloaded the map, and handed the chip back to Sheldon. "Remember, don't get caught. I'm not sure what they'll do to you if you get discovered." "Got it. But is there anything else I need to know?" Matt asked before leaving. "Your guns won't work here. Best leave them with me." Matt hesitated before handing over his custom Desert Eagles, and told him to be careful with them. Matt then put the fake Hypnoshades back on, and left.

It took an hour to arrive at the factory, but Matt reached it. Oddly enough, it wasn't too far from the city, just a few miles away. Once there, Matt surveyed the building. It was like a regular factory, except the metal is oddly colored. There were guards at the main entrance, as expected, and since he didn't have his guns, he can't just shoot them and enter. He'll need to find a different way in. He noticed there was a loading dock on the side, so he got close. No one was around, so he snuck in. Oddly enough, there were no security cameras, so he got to the production area of the building. Looking around, he saw a box labeled "Industrial Strength Neon", and went for it. He grabbed it, and stuffed it into his pocket dimension. As he was sneaking out, he noticed a strange door. He entered, and inside was a table, with just a lone box inside. He opened the box, and saw… A neon blue pair of shoes? Matt took off his regular ones, and put on the new ones. He put the old ones into the same pocket dimension, and felt the shoes were a lot more fitting. He snuck back out, and ran back to the main city. He disguised again, and made it back to Music Knights. When he arrived, Sheldon was at the counter, waiting. "Good! You're back. How'd it go?" Sheldon inquired. "I got the neon, and this pair of shoes!" Matt pointed to the new ones. "Fresh!" Matt went straight to the back room and started crafting. Assemble a few parts here, stick some neon there… A few minutes later, it was done! Matt put on the headphones, and they were glowing. Matt liked their style. He said thanks to Sheldon, and went off to locate the next item: The Turntable.


	4. Chapter 3: Turntable

Duel of the DJs Chapter 3: Turntable

The next item was located in, oddly enough, an abandoned warehouse. The dash there wasn't as lengthy as the previous factory, but it was tiring nonetheless. The warehouse, even with its flashy colors and mysterious architecture, still looked old and decrepit, with some discolored moss here and there. The door was halfway open, and Matt crouched and entered into the warehouse. Nothing of specialty was in it, only a lot of old boxes and crates. However, one pile caught Matt's eye. It looked like a normal pile of crates, but it was symmetrical, with multiples stacked in one large cube. Upon closer inspection, the crate on the front had hinges. Matt found a crowbar next to it, and cracked it open. Inside was a door, and the crate was, oddly enough, half as big as it was on the outside. Carefully, he opened the door, and was greeted with a room.

The room was dark, while Matt was surveying the area. Polished black tile floors with the spaces in between glowing a brilliant blue. The ceiling was illuminated by purple-and-pink lights that came from its edges, and then, looking forward, Matt saw it. The Turntable… Matt knew that a room like this was too safe, so he had to be careful. One step forward, and Matt's suspicions were confirmed. The tile below him glowed bright blue, while random tiles in front glowed blue as well, while others stayed black. Matt decided that he might only be able to step on the bright ones, so he took plenty of care in making sure he only stepped on the right ones. Suddenly, music kicked in. It sounded… Russian? The urge to dance took over him, and he started doing a kick. Seeing an opportunity, with each kick, he jumped to the next tile. Matt was easily making his way across the room, and he finished the dance with a spin and a bow on the last tile. Just as he did that, the music finished.

Matt just shrugged it off, and looked over the turntable. It had a sleek, shiny obsidian design, with neon blue lights lining the controls. There was a logo on the underside. It was a blue triangle with a smaller one inside it, and a rectangle with three prongs under it, with the center one shorter than the other two. It started blinking, and when Matt touched it, it revealed a compartment. Inside it was a jacket and pants. They were both black with blue designs, particularly streaks of blue down the sleeves and back of the pant legs. The same logo on front of the turntable was present on the back of the jacket. Matt took off his normal clothes, and put the outfit on. He could move well in it, and he liked the design. Same as the shoes, he put his previous jacket and pants in his pocket dimension, and looked back at the turntable. There was a button in the compartment. When he pressed it, it started shrinking, and folded itself into a small black box. Matt picked it up, and just to be sure, he tossed it back on the ground to see if it would grow again. Surely enough, when it hit the ground, it started unfolding and growing back into the turntable. Matt turned it small again, and put it in his pocket. When he looked back at the path, a whole line of blue tiles was directly leading back to the door was in front of him. He could freely go back to the entrance. Once he was there, just to see what would happen, he stepped on one of the black tiles. The ground began to shake, and the tiles started falling, except for the bright ones. They dropped into a strange purple abyss below. Matt's eyes widened, then he stepped back out. He sealed the door with the crowbar he left nearby and started walking away. However, before he could step too far from it, he started hearing faint music. He looked around, confused. Suddenly, something burst through the roof, and landed in front of him in a whirlpool of pink and blue. Matt clenched his fists and got in a fighting stance, ready for anything that might have landed. When the whirlpool dissipated, it revealed someone familiar. It was Lux. "Matt." "Lux."

"What do you want?" Matt asked as soon as Lux stood up, keeping his guard up. "Relax. I'm not here to kill you or anything, you know." Lux stated. "I still don't trust you. After all, you did send your entire police force after me." "Oh forget that. I just wanted to see how well you were doing. Nice outfit by the way. It's a lot better than the one you had previously." Matt wanted to punch her in the face for saying that, but he couldn't help but agree this outfit looked better. "So, why ARE you here anyway?" "Just wanted to greet you. And offer something." Matt squinted his eyes. "What offer?" "Join me, and I'll let you rule this place with me. No strings attached." Matt dropped his stance. Was she being serious? Or is this a trick? Either way, Matt stopped acting serious. Lux got closer to him, and looked him in the eyes. "Just do it, Matt. It'll be easier for you." Matt contemplated for a bit, then sighed. He shrugged with a defeated look in his eyes. "Fine… I'll do it." Matt said, giving up. "Good. Now…" Lux leaned in for a kiss, and Matt closed his eyes… Suddenly, a shockwave was sent through Matt's chest, sending him flying into a nearby crate. "Hah! Did you really think I'd let you lead this place? I can't believe how gullible you are!" Lux yelled out before laughing triumphantly. She began walking away. Matt looked down at the ground, before feeling something snap in him. When you deceive Matt, he doesn't just get mad. He goes BERZERK.

He dashed forward quickly, and before Lux could turn around completely, sent a fist straight into her face. It was strong enough to send her flying, like she did to Matt. His face showed the anger of the Doom Slayer himself, and he went in for another attack. Lux blocked it this time however, and tried to counterattack. Matt blocked it as well, and did a combo on her where he punched her twice in the face, kneed her in the stomach, and knocked her on the ground with a kick to the head. Before she could get up, he grabbed her by the neck, threw her in the air, jumped up, and kicked her hard, sending her across the warehouse. She landed on the cold, hard metal of the sides of the warehouse, before sliding down to the ground. Matt approached her slowly, and before he could get to her, Lux stood up. She put up the same fighting stance Matt had previously, with her arms blocking forward. Matt just brought her arms down and slapped her square across the face. She staggered, before getting stunned. Matt cracked his knuckles somehow, and uttered a few words. "Let's finish this." He used a Rage Art. He punched her twice in the face, kneed her in the head, head-butted her, elbowed her chest, and after grabbing her top garment, extend his right arm, curled each of his fingers individually, and as he punched, he let out a battle cry. "**ORA!" **The punch was electric, and devastating. It was strong enough not just to send her flying, it sent her straight through the wall of the warehouse, and landed outside. Matt looked over her in utter disgust. It somehow didn't knock her out, as she was still conscious. She crawled away backwards from him, while muttering incomprehensibly. She teleported away. Matt knew to let her go, as to go and finish her off was a waste of time to him. He then headed to collect the final item on his list: The Deck.


	5. Chapter 4: Deck

Duel of the DJs Chapter 4: Deck

The final item was located in… a bunker. While it would have just been any normal one, what was different about this bunker was that it didn't have the bright neon colors of the surroundings. No, it had a dark and gloomy feeling, and the metal and stone were properly colored. The whole feeling of the place was unsettling. Matt walked in slowly, even though the location was completely abandoned. The inside wasn't any different. Something must have went down here, because the place was trashed. There were weapons, bodies of Inklings, and blood on the walls. Whatever happened here, Matt didn't want to know. He carried on, and went deeper in the facility. He passed by rooms and rooms of death, the body count piling up the further he went. He came across a strange instance, where an Inkling's body wearing an outfit similar to a DJ's was leaning on a table, with a hole in the back of his head. In front of him was an open journal, with scribbled writing. Matt took it, and read it. It detailed the events that occurred in here. "They've found our base. I'm not going to make it out of here. It was always my dream to be the best, and defeat Lux. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make that dream happen. Lux's forces have started invading this base. My time will come soon. To anyone who may read this, I hope you can solve this puzzle that I have failed to understand. It's in the document on the back of this journal. It will lead you to somewhere in this facility, yet I do not know where. Good luck." The text ended there, and it's presumed that he died when it ended. Matt looked at the back of the journal, and found a slip of paper. The words on it were, oddly enough, not in the language this place speaks in, but the language from HIS version of Inkopolis. He could understand it easily. "Synthwalker, your treasure lies in the heart of a facility at these coordinates…" The coordinates, when scanned by his shades' UI, translated to this exact building. The second line of the paper said… "Look for your symbol. You'll know it when you see it. Beware of what lies within." Matt put away the paper, and left the room.

He looked in the belly of the complex, and found something interesting. The symbol on the back of his jacket was inscribed on the wall. When he touched it, it started glowing blue. The chunk of the wall it was on moved upwards, like a door from Doom. When Matt looked inside, it was… dark. Way too dark. He brought out his lighter for some light. There was a platform he could step on in front of him, and not much else. As soon as he stepped on it however, the door behind him closed, and the platform glowed blue. More lights began switching on, and Matt could see what was in the room. A full gauntlet of music themed traps, from brightly colored spikes and thorns, to disc launchers shooting out discs at alarming speeds. Matt had to maneuver past everything if he wanted to reach the end. He quickly jumped over the spikes at the start, ducked under a halved disc guillotine, dodged more discs getting shot at him, avoided a flamethrower set of all things, and slid under a wall of more spikes like he was playing baseball.

After the wall, he saw the final item. The Deck… It was on a pedestal of lapis, shining brightly from a blue light pointed at it from above. He went over to grab it, and before he could, he heard something. It was like whispering, but muffled. He looked around, but nothing was there, except his reflection in the disc. However, he noticed it didn't looked correct. He tilted his head to the right, and was caught off guard by his reflection not copying what he did. It simply smiled at him. Matt stepped back, before the blue light pointed at the disc shifted in front of it. A drop of blue ink leaked out of a small crack in the ceiling, before landing in the center of the light. It grew and morphed, before it took the shape… of Matt. The doppelganger stood there, while Matt approached. It didn't seem to do much, until it formed a katana in its right hand. It attacked Matt, who quickly dodged out of the way. This must be the final obstacle. He must defeat his clone. Matt dodged and dodged, and when he got a punch in, it didn't even land. It just went right through. The clone took the chance and sliced him in the stomach, making Matt fall to the ground. He held his stomach, as he closed his eyes and braced for another attack. It didn't come, however. When he opened his eyes again, the clone looked agitated. Matt realized its weakness. While his eyes are open, he can't harm it, but it can hurt him. But if he shuts them, he's invincible against it. He got up, and while his eyes were shut, threw a few punches and kicks, which landed. When he reopened his eyes, the clone was on the ground. Before Matt could react, it stood back up quickly, and Matt prepared for another set of attacks. However, instead of attacking him, it simply dropped the katana. "Well done, Matt. You have bested your reflection. Take your prize, and complete your mission." Matt nodded, and the clone pointed towards the deck.

When he grabbed it, a beam of light engulfed him from above. He felt like he was levitating, and he was teleported away. He found himself… In a landscape of white? Suddenly, a voice spoke out to him in a deep voice. "The time has come…" Matt was confused. "To search the endless possibilities of your mind…" It continued. Ominous music was playing during all this. "Are you ready… to rise above the skies?" The voice finished. Matt nodded. The music was building up, and in front of him, the ground cracked. From the crack, blue light glowed. Out from it, he was presented with… The Deck. It floated and rotated in front of him, like a special item in a video game. He carefully took it. When he touched it again, lights were in his eyes, electricity crackled from his hands, and he started shaking violently. "Synthwalker…" The voice from before spoke. "You are ready." Matt was teleported back to the front of the facility from before, and he held the deck in his hand. He did it. He got everything he needed. He grasped it firmly, feeling the energy flowing through him. He let out a yell, before laughing maniacally. "I've never felt this powerful! But now is not the time for that. **LUX! I'M COMING FOR YOU!"** Matt roared, before heading back to the main city, for the final showdown.


	6. Chapter 5: Infiltration

Duel of the DJs Chapter 5: Infiltration

The Citadel. Lux's nightclub. Well, it's less of a nightclub and more of her main base. As Matt approached, he could sense he's in for a wild ride. The entrance wasn't left unguarded, and the normal method of sneaking in a different way wouldn't work here. So, he used the upgraded Desert Eagles that Sheldon gave him back at Music Knights. Taking aim at both their heads, he fired carefully, conserving ammo. Surprisingly, instead of stunning them, it just straight up killed them, normal gun-style. Matt dashed inside, carefully making sure he didn't get caught by anyone else. Using the guns, he sniped people from afar who were threatening to catch him. He got deep into the place, before noticing he never deactivated the security cameras. He didn't care, keeping his pace and looking for the main area. He came across a prison, and felt bad for the people trapped in there. But he needed to focus on his mission. The area's colors and strange distortions gave him memories of Deep Sea Metro, but it didn't bother him much. Suddenly, a full squad caught him running through the halls. "Freeze! You're under arrest!" The leader said. When all 4 approached him, he drew his guns, and shot all four in the chest. He finished them off with another bullet each, not noticing the one watching him from afar, who ran away.

Despite the twists and turns of the base and how long Matt's been searching, this place just never ends. It was like a maze, a labyrinth of sorts. A synthwave-themed prison of a maze. He was barely able to get through it when he found an armory. It had a map inside, which he took quickly. Despite the unfamiliarity, having that made things a HELL of a lot easier. He navigated through the place quite quickly, looking for Lux's throne room. "I'm coming for you, Lux. No one's gonna stop me." Without his knowledge, he was being watched through the cameras by a worried individual.

Meanwhile, in the throne room…

Lux sat upon her glistening, obsidian throne that hovered above the pool of glowing blue mist. Beyond was an abyss that had large columns of pink light suspended there. The walkway leading to the throne stretched out before her, the end of it was a column of white light. The underside of the walkway was a glowing pink, and a figure blocked the light, running toward her. Lux could see the figure was a boy. Skin purple, glistening cyan tentacles, and neon-pink Hypnoshades, like hers. His voice was frantic. "M-my lady, an intruder by the name of Synthwalker has invaded the nightclub! Y-you must leave before-!" Lux cut him off, her soft voice now cold. She picked up the gun sitting by her feet. It looked like a glowing pink boom-box. "Silence. I'll handle this." She stood up, leading the Octoling out, and her brilliant blue eyes narrowed beneath her shades. "You're going _down_, Matt."


	7. Chapter 6: Showdown

Duel of the DJs Chapter 6: Showdown

Matt finally located the throne room, and entered with relative ease. The place was pitch black. The only light came from the deck he held, and his suit, as well as his shoes. Matt cautiously walked forwards, and suddenly, a voice made him whirl about, to only be greeted by darkness. "Matt! So good to see you. I was thinking I'd have to cancel my next gig!" Matt gritted his teeth. "All right, that it! Cut the bullsquit, Lux! Show yourself at once!" Matt brought out the gleaming black cube from his pocket. He whispered to it. "Form Synthwave Gun." A monotone female voice was heard. _"Forming: Synthwave Gun." _The sounds of parts moving and locking into place were heard, and Matt saw that there was a circular slot for the deck he held. Matt slid it on, the gun beginning to glow a bright blue. He readied it, and Lux's voice came again, followed by footsteps in front of him. "Ha! That's more like it. But I think we need a bit more light, don't you?" Lux snapped her fingers, and the darkness was broken by pink-and-purple lights that lined the walls. The floor began to glow blue, and it flashed an array of colors, like a dance floor. Lux was now visible, a little ways from him. She put a hand on her hip. "Let's go, _squid boy."_

The fight kicked off with Lux firing her beatbox gun, the projectiles being dodged by Matt. The music they produced with their guns could be compared to a music battle, with Lux delivering soft, rhythmic beats, while Matt shot with sharp, electric beats as a counter. Both had the determination to win it, and neither was gonna surrender to the other. While Lux kept her composure, Matt circled her, firing off projectiles and dodging her beats. In the middle of it all, there were supplementary sound effects played seemingly from nowhere. Soon enough, their guns got an upgrade, switching the music a bit and giving their main parts more emphasis each time. They occasionally get into melee attacks, where one of them goes for a punch that the other dodges or blocks, then counters.

Matt kept a steady hand on his gun, as the fight moved into Phase 2. Lux's shots spread out, homing in on him while Matt shot them down. He countered with a few chaser and charge shots, which Lux dodged herself. She taunted Matt occasionally, saying he's too weak to beat her. Matt ignored her taunts, as he was too focused on dodging her shots. He charged up a sniper-style shot, and fired directly at Lux. She blocked it with her gun, which took a bit of damage. Matt noticed this, and kept the pressure on her. She shot him repeatedly, but his reflexes were too fast for her to react. All that osu! must be paying off. Despite the reflexes however, Lux was able to shoot him in the arm, stunning him for a moment. She took it to hit him with a charge shot of her own, which landed in the leg. Matt kneeled for a moment, before doing a shadow dash to the other side of the arena. Before Lux could turn around, Matt kicked her down, before retreating. Their guns upgraded once more, which happens when something occurs to the user. In this case, Matt having the upper hand and Lux, for just a moment, feeling that she could lose this fight. 

Lux put up her strongest attacks for Phase 3. She chained shots together, many of them fast enough to graze Matt. In return, he waited for the perfect times to fire, and landed a few crucial shots on her arm, gun, and abdomen. She did a handful of dodging herself. Looking at it, it would look like the Agent 8 vs Agent 3 fight. Her shots didn't do much, and the electric beats from Matt's gun were able to shock her whenever they landed. Her soft beats couldn't counter his sharp ones. Matt noticed she was getting tired and weak, and went all in. He fired multiple fast shots, charge shots, and homing shots. She couldn't dodge them all, as Matt had predicted. She got hit by most of them, but they didn't kill her. She tried to counter, but her arms wouldn't cooperate. She could still stand, but her weapon was unusable. She was on the verge of losing. Matt shot her gun, and she could barely put up a fighting stance. Matt kicked her, then grabbed her. He looked her in the eyes, and smiled like a devil. He threw her down on the ground, then turned. It was over. Lux stealthily crawled backwards, going for her gun as Matt began speaking to her. "You were a worthy opponent, Lux. I know you may think you're still gonna be able to win this, but you won't." Matt finished and Lux grabbed the gun and pointed it at him. But before she could fire, Matt turned around quickly. "And your next line is, "I wouldn't be so sure about that, boy!"!" "I wouldn't be so sure about that, boy!" Lux gasped. How did he know what she was gonna say!? Before she could react however, he kicked away the gun, then picked her back up, by the neck. He threw her on the ground, before whispering to his Synthwave Gun. "Form Turntable." He threw it on the other side of the arena, where it became its original form. He leaped behind it, took the deck, and put it on the top. The turntable glowed, signaling it was active. "I'm not done yet, Lux! Your judgment has arrived! HIT IT!" He played the deck, revealing the song inside._ Boss Mode._


	8. Chapter 7: Final Mix

Duel of the DJs Chapter 7: Final Mix

The colors of the dance floor changed from pink-and-purple to red-and-black, but the blue glow of the floor remained. Matt's left eye glowed blue, while the turntable itself had a red tint to it. The music started, and Matt launched more projectiles at Lux, who could barely avoid them. He shot more at her, and the buildup to the drop started. Lux noticed that the inscription of Matt's glyph on the front of the turntable had changed, as the Knife Party logo was inside the triangle. "When the planets collide, stars in your eyes, open your mind, angel in disguise… Planets collide, stars in your eyes, open your mind, angel in disguise…" He repeated four times, as the drop built up. Multiple scare chords were sounding, as Lux felt fear overtake her. The beats jumped around, as more projectiles headed for Lux. Each time Matt moved the deck, a projectile would shoot at her. And since Matt was doing it quite often, she had a lot of dodging to do. The intensity built up, and the beats cut before Matt yelled… "SWITCH!"

The beat drop involved him shooting a ton more projectiles at her, and she couldn't keep up. Matt kept repeating the sentence from earlier while fighting Lux. Suddenly, the floor started spinning, and so did Matt and Lux. It was like Matt was encircling her, shooting projectiles from all directions. All she could do was dodge, as she lost her gun and can't fire. The glow in Matt's eye got more intense as the second beat drop was building, and he started repeating a new sentence. "War, love or peace, war, love or peace, war, love or peace, war-war love or peace, war, love or peace, war love or peace, best protect-tect, best-best protect your neck…" With each word, a fast projectile was launched at Lux, and not one she was able to dodge. They either landed or grazed her. The beats got more intense, as Matt's hands were getting faster by the second. Lux went in close for a melee attack, but Matt's turntable launched a shockwave at her, sending her flying. The beat cut once more, and Matt said ominously… "Slightly different!"

The beats dropped again, and this time, Matt used both his turntable and his guns. Each time one of his projectiles landed, he would follow up with a shot from his guns. The last few ones to land were charged ones. The music slowly died down, as the final beats were from his guns. The lights also reverted to pink-and-purple. She fell to her knees, her head looking down. Matt whispered to the turntable, "Form Synthwave Gun." It morphed back into the gun he had previously, and landed in his hand. He walked over to Lux, who looked up at him. "You brought this upon yourself, Lux. This is your fault. Not mine. You shouldn't have messed with Matt J. Miller." She tried to say something. "I'm sorr-" **BANG!**

Lux's body flew back in a spray of cyan ink, her shades flying from her face to land at Matt's feet. She landed with a hard thud upon the ground, the ink pooling around her now lifeless body. Matt lowered the Synthwave Gun, panting. He remembered the look of shock on Lux's face before he pulled the trigger, along with her last words he didn't let her finish. "_I'm sorr-" BANG! _Matt gritted his teeth at the recollection, his brows furrowing. He picked up the shades, and with a look of disgust, threw them down, crushing them under his boot. Upon doing so, the lights of the dance floor turned from pink-and-purple to green-and-blue. He then heard approaching footsteps from behind, and saw the Octoling that had reported him. He wasn't wearing shades, and his dazzling sapphire eyes looked up at him kindly.

"Thank you, Synthwalker. You've freed the city. But there's one thing missing. Since Lux is dead, we need a new leader." Matt's ears perked at the thought. _New leader?_ He thought for a moment, then placed a hand on the Octoling's shoulder. "I'll do it." The Octoling's face lit up. "Really?" Matt nodded. "Of course. Hey, what's your name?" Matt asked the Octoling. "My name's Mauve." "Well, Mauve, nice name. But, I think it'd be better. How about I nickname ya Mystic?" "Sure!" Mystic answered. "Now, since you guys aren't shaded, this can't be called the Shaded Realm anymore." Matt smiled. "How about… _The Cyan Realm._"


	9. Epilogue: Synthwalker

Duel of the DJs Epilogue: Synthwalker

Things have been much better for the citizens of the Shaded Realm, or as it's now known, the Cyan Realm. After the death of Lux, Matt took over as the ruler of the realm. He was a good one, compared to Lux, who certainly wasn't. While he wanted to go back to Inkopolis, he had a new responsibility here. He felt happy, knowing these people would be safe with him.

In the throne room, Matt sat upon the glistening obsidian throne. The octopus inscribed on its back was reshaped to look like the glyph on the back of Matt's Synthwalker outfit. He looked out at the glowing cyan city that stretched out before him, behind the window that seemed to not be glass, but some sort of bulletproof plastic. His eyes surveyed the tall glowing skyscrapers and small housing units. He was now the new, benevolent ruler that took Lux's place. He had sworn to himself to destroy any shades that turned up in a report, and so far, all of them have been destroyed. Matt suddenly leaned forward as a blue-bellied, gleaming black shuttle glided down to the landing dock that was on the edge of the city. A figure stepped out.

It was a female Inkling with long shimmering blue tentacles, like Matt's. She looked both worried and hopeful. Matt's eyes widened at the realization. Was that… _KINZIE!?_

"_Matt, if you really are here, I'm going to bring you home. Please come home…"_


End file.
